Left Unsettled
by Darkhymns
Summary: With Iselia under snowfall, Genis seeks out the friend he chose in the end.


**Written for ayu-ohseki on tumblr for the Tales of Secret Santa.**

* * *

"We're still friends, aren't we?"

Genis hadn't been prepared. The nights in Flanoir were cold, but exhilarating. He had told Raine he'd only be gone for a little while – maybe even get her a hot drink to help with the cold she was developing. Days didn't last long in this part of Tethe'alla, the sun slinking away quickly as night crept forth. So he blamed the darkness on why he couldn't recognize Mithos standing by the street corner, the lamppost so dim it barely did anything to illuminate the roads.

Genis had hesitated too long. "Of course we are."

Perhaps that look had always been there in Mithos' eyes, something hard and sharp, bringing forth a voice that was stripped bare of any texture that had once been so comforting to Genis. "Remember when I asked you before? If me and Lloyd were in a fight, whose side would you be on?"

If Genis were truly as smart as he claimed, he would've known just what to say. But again, his voice was dry, despite the damp snow that soaked his ankles. "But, you're _both_ my friends!"

Mithos scoffed. "It doesn't work like that and you know it."

"That's not…" Genis continued to struggle. "It doesn't make what I said any less true."

"Yet as my friend, you would still go against me." He stepped back. "Despite everything you've been through."

"But I-"

"What have the humans ever done for us except treat us with ridicule? What makes Lloyd any different? He who has never been discriminated against in his life?"

"Stop it!" Genis shouted, before wincing at the loudness of his voice. The snow made everything so quiet, he felt as if the whole town must have heard. "Just please, listen to me."

Mithos refused. He had already disappeared before Genis could say another word.

* * *

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The weathers in Sylvarant had never been so hectic. Rainstorms took over Asgard instead of bright windy days, and Triet's sands were sometimes sleeked over with ice, especially as night fell. People adapted however, as they had adapted to the sudden new world that had appeared right next to them.

Genis looked up to the sky, wide-eyed as the first snowflakes started to fall onto the Iselian forest. He hadn't expected this to happen, in spite of everything, and was regretting that he didn't just take a rheiard. As long as the snowfall didn't get as intense as in Flanoir…

He was at Lloyd's house before the snow could pile up, but already there was a fine powder of white on its roof. His boots crunched against the building snow banks, and he watched curiously as some of the flakes drifted onto the river's surface. Goosebumps raised over his skin, no matter how much he tried to rub his arms to stay warm.

He didn't see Noishe in his usual shed, and figured the dwarf took pity on the animal to find some indoor warmth.

He had been over Lloyd's home so many times over the years that he rarely needed to announce himself or even ask to be let in. The door opened easily, unlocked as it was during the day. The heat from inside instantly took away his chill.

"Ah, Genis! Good to see ya during this mighty crazy weather we be having."

Dirk was as familiar a sight to him as Lloyd himself, the dwarf looking busy as he cradled some kindling in his arms. Much of the wood looked damp, and he pictured Dirk having gone outside as soon as the first snowflake had fallen. Off in one corner of the living room was Noishe, nose covered by his bushy tail as he slept all curled up.

"If I had known it was going to be snowing, I would've just stayed home." Still, Lloyd had promised him that they would meet today. Between the constant barrage of questions from the other children back in Iselia to Lloyd getting ready for the Exsphere journey, there wasn't that much time left they had.

"Aye, we haven't had a good and proper winter for nigh on a century. Was probably about Lloyd's age since I've seen such a storm." Dirk took the cut wood over to the furnace, not at all mindful of any splinters that must have pricked his bare arms. "Well, just sit tight and I can brew up some hot tea for ya. I even have some leftovers from last night's dinner if you're hungry."

While Dwarven Potluck Surprise sounded good, Genis couldn't really find the stomach for it today. "Thanks, Dirk. But I think I'm just gonna go talk with Lloyd. Is he out back doing chores or something?" The young boy couldn't help but smirk at the idea of his friend trying to lug around a raft-full of logs for the house, probably complaining every step of the day, or being bored somehow.

The dwarf shook his head. "Thought I could give the lad a bit of a break for now. Usually I'd be making him do his morning chores, but after his heroic deeds, I figured he deserves a little rest."

Genis considered Dirk's words, sobering him up quickly. The idea of Lloyd doing menial labor was still a bit funny in his head and yet… "That's very kind of you. Lloyd did work really hard… How long as he been sleeping?"

Dirk put on a considering expression. "About 10 hours give or take."

"Ah." Genis paused. "But it's almost noon."

"That it is."

Genis cleared his throat. "Excuse me please."

Immediately, Genis walked up the stairs of Lloyd's home, found his door, then knocked hard on it.

" _Hey! Get your butt up right now!"_

What he heard next was the sound of something heavy fall to the floor with a loud thump.

"Ow! Damn it!"

Genis took no pity, and kept knocking. "Lloyd!"

It still took Lloyd too long to get himself up and open the door. His clothes were wrinkled and he had the worst case of bedhead that Genis had ever seen. "Agh, why do you have to yell? I was sleeping!"

"That's exactly why I woke you up, stupid! Did you already forget why I'm here?"

"Uh." Lloyd blinked. Genis could see the gears work in the other's head to a painful, _painful_ degree. "Wait. Oh! Yeah, uh, I didn't forget! Give me a break, I just woke up!" Lloyd then rubbed his shoulder a little frantically. "Man, why's it so cold?"

It was enough to make Genis sigh. "Lloyd, just get dressed and meet me outside. And _don't_ go back to sleep. Not even for five minutes!" He was being too mean, but his thoughts were so frantic today and he needed Lloyd to be aware. "It won't take long anyway."

Lloyd seemed to understand him, at least with that. "Alright, I'll be out." He shivered visibly. "But seriously, why's it so cold?"

Genis had to resist the urge to facepalm.

* * *

Of course, Lloyd was completely flabbergasted at the snow that fell all around his house. Dirk had lent the two a pair of cloaks that they could wear over their clothes. The lining was thick, with fur stitched on the inside to keep them warm. Genis hugged the cloak tight, knowing the dwarf wouldn't mind if he took it all the way home, yet still feeling a bit guilty for it.

"Wow, it's just like back in Flanoir!" Lloyd walked up to the makeshift bridge over the river, scraping his boot against its surface to see if it was too slippery to cross. They both remained on his front yard, the world feeling so silenced as the snow continued to fall all around them.

"Iselia hasn't been exposed to this kind of environment since it's usually so warm." Genis walked up to Lloyd, eyeing both river and bridge. "But now that the other summon spirits' powers have been released, Efreet is no longer the only one that has influence over this area. And Celsius seems to not really like Efreet either…"

Lloyd turned. "What, so she's doing this to piss him off or something?"

Genis huffed. "More like a demonstration of her power. At least showing Efreet he's not the only relevant summon spirit anymore."

Lloyd tilted his head. "…Still sounds like she's just doing it to piss him off to me."

"Forget it." Genis looked at the ground, watching the footprints he made. They looked small compared to Lloyd's, watching their path entwine around the other as they had walked from the house. "But with the winter so sudden, this could affect the crops back in Iselia. It could even alter the ecosystem we have, especially for animals that aren't used to the drop in temperature. This could really mess things up."

"Oh… well…" Lloyd considered, forehead scrunched in thought. "Maybe we can talk to Sheena about it? Have her summon Celsius and ask-"

Genis ran off suddenly, going across the bridge with not a step out of place.

"H-hey! Genis! Wait up!"

Back when he first visited Flanoir, Genis had been so excited over the snow, running through the streets, not caring how his clothes were not enough to keep him from being sick. But that was before, and now, he felt like he had gotten so much older in such a short time. It all felt so immature to be excited at this much snow. Not when one considered the effects it could have to a home he had grown to love, then hated, then loved again when he was accepted back. Gaining back the acceptance of the humans had made him so happy.

And he felt guilty for it.

* * *

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The flower field that Genis and Mithos had found had been a far-reaching sea of white. It reminded Genis of the snow back in Flanoir, the way the wind blew up the pale petals to swirl all around them like snow flurries. But they had defeated the monsters that had blocked their way up the mountain path, and both boys were able to revel in their success, walking among the field as petals fell into their hair.

"You really know so much about herbs, Mithos!" Genis had praised his friend. "Now we can cure Raine!"

"I'm glad." Mithos smiled, standing off to the side as his eyes went elsewhere. "She's your only family, isn't she? It's important to take care of each other."

Genis gathered what flowers he could, careful not to crinkle the petals or twist the stems as he plucked them. "Yeah. I've been with Raine forever. She's always taken care of me."

"…My sister was the same," Mithos whispered. "She was all the family I had, too."

The tone made Genis pause. Mithos had never spoken to him at length about his sister, besides the memento he carried.

"She took care of me when our own parents refused. She watched out for me when we had to sleep out in the open. Even in a world where everyone hated us, she made me feel less alone."

Mithos walked up to Genis to then sit on the soft grass. He was careful in his motions, choosing a spot where no flowers would be crushed. The wind grew stronger, continuing to make the petals dance around them. "Once, she got very sick; from staying up too late and keeping watch, or speaking with the few humans that didn't turn us away. It was still only us traveling together and I knew she went through so much stress. I had no one else to turn to when it happened. I had to get the herbs she needed myself."

Genis sat with him, watching the petals float before his eyes.

"I was only able to do that because she had taught me about the flowers in the first place. I owe everything to her. Everything."

Because of what Mithos was telling him, Genis felt touched. To know not only another half-elf his age, but also one who had a sister that was dear to him. Yet guilt still filled him, because Genis knew he was luckier than Mithos. Raine was still alive.

"I hate humans," Mithos said suddenly, a comment that Genis knew would have shocked most of his friends. But all he felt was something familiar, something understandable. "They took everything away from me."

"I hate humans, too," Genis confessed, still holding his gathered flowers gently. "But, there are humans like Lloyd who aren't too bad. And I know he wants to help you, too!"

Mithos didn't answer right away. Instead he kept looking to the sky, the night very chill. "Genis, if me and Lloyd got into a fight, whose side would you be on?"

"Huh?"

"You and Lloyd get along so well. But what if… we didn't agree on something? Whose side would you pick?"

The answer back then had been easy to Genis.

"Well, Lloyd would probably fight about something dumb, I'm sure, so I guess yours!"

That was enough to get Mithos back to smiling. "Really?"

"Yeah. Because we're friends!"

* * *

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Genis didn't have to wait long for Lloyd to find him. He sat at the foot of an overhanging oak, its left side so bent over with snow that its burden looked ready to fall at any moment. He didn't care whether it did. Once he could hear Lloyd's footsteps crunching against the snow, he decided to open his eyes.

"Genis! The hell you do that for?" Lloyd panted out the words, unprepared for the chase he had to embark on today. "I thought you wanted to talk or something!"

"Yeah," Genis simply answered. He looked unimpressed at Lloyd, hands on his knees as he continued to try and catch his breath. "How are you _that_ tired already? I'm not the one who walks and runs around all day like you do!"

"Shut it! I told you I just woke up!" Lloyd brushed away the snow that tried to cling to his hair. "And the snow makes it harder to run!"

Genis laughed, almost unsure as to why Lloyd's frustrations seemed to cheer him up so much. Maybe because he knew Lloyd wasn't actually mad. If he had been, he wouldn't have bothered running after Genis at all.

"Well, I still wanted to talk with you. I just wanted to do it here. It's better scenery!"

It really wasn't that much different from the other areas of the forest, except perhaps without the sight of Lloyd's house. The trees were packed thicker around here, their boughs taking the weight of the fallen snow, leaving the grass beneath them mostly bare.

Lloyd, still with a confused look on his face, sat down next to Genis with a satisfying motion, glad to give his feet some rest.

"Alright. Well, what was so important that we had to go out in the middle of nowhere basically? _And_ wake me up early?"

 _It wasn't early at all!_ Genis wanted to say, but the words wouldn't come. He fiddled with the cloak. He had made Lloyd wait too long, but still.

"Did you ever try getting them back?"

That of course just brought him more questions.

"Them? Who are they?"

"Not _them_ as in people. I mean, like, your wings! Remember?"

Genis suddenly wondered if Lloyd might not actually remember. How awkward this would be.

"Oh yeah! Hm, well, Colette was teaching me how to summon them for a little while." Lloyd looked nervous at that. "I, uh, it didn't really go well. I'm not even sure I can anymore."

Genis wondered.

"Eh, it's not like I need them anyway. Why you ask though?"

"It was because of Mithos, wasn't it?"

Lloyd didn't answer, and that was good. It gave Genis the space he needed to keep going, here in this place, where the snow masked sound. Maybe it swallowed away the hard beating in his chest.

"When you broke his crystal, I saw it go into your Exsphere. I saw… him. He helped you in the end, didn't he? Or at least his power? That means he must have understood by then, right? That it's all okay still?"

"Genis-"

"I never stopped being his friend, you know." Genis kept unloading more than he wanted to, and suddenly he was no longer mature, or older, or anything like that. He still felt like he was just a stupid twelve-year old, still relying on the adults to take care of him. "Even after what he did to you, and Colette, and everyone else, he was still my friend. And I wanted him to stay my friend forever."

He was not blaming Lloyd, or maybe he was. But what did that say of him when in the end, he couldn't help someone who suffered so much?

"I wanted to save him, too." He felt Lloyd's eyes on him, just barely seeing it out of his peripheral vision. But the snow was easier to bear.

 _What makes Lloyd any different? He who has never been discriminated against in his life?_

"Lloyd, how come you went out of your way to be my friend?"

"Huh?" Genis couldn't blame him this time for the confusion. The change in topic had been deliberate. The thoughts in his head wouldn't stop – not unless he addressed all of them as fast as he could.

"You were already friends with Colette, so why bother with me? I wasn't even close to your age at all!"

"Well… you helped me out with my homework that one time! So I thought you were just a cool kid."

"Great. So you were just using our friendship to help your failing grades!"

"No way! Not _just_ that!" That made both of them laugh, and suddenly it was easier to speak, to be more comfortable in the snow, warmed by their cloaks. "I mean… you were always sitting alone at lunch, but you always talked so smart in class. Couldn't really understand why no one was willing to talk with you."

"Come on, Lloyd." Genis rolled his eyes. "You know why."

"…I guess, but… that was dumb! And I wanted to be your friend anyway. Not many wanted to talk to me either."

"I know. Just, even when I said I was an elf, people still looked at me weird." The silence was coming back, prompting Genis to find the words he'd hidden away for a long time. "You're different, Lloyd. I don't think Mithos could understand that, not until…" Something clogged his throat. "I'm being such a baby."

"But you're not!"

"I just… I don't know." Genis wiped at his eyes. It stung more than he thought it would. The icy air was too much. Would Iselia ever be warm again? "Mithos still looked so sad last time. It was the real him after everything else – not even Yggdrasil. I want to believe he understood finally, but I know I'm just being stupid."

"No, because… I don't think you're wrong!"

There it was. A confirmation of whatever little hope he had. He turned to Lloyd, surprised to see that the other actually seemed confident as to what he was saying. The snow no longer fell on his hair, the tree they sat under shielding them well.

"I really think Mithos helped me. And… I think at least he's beginning to understand. That's why we have to do all we can, you know? That a world like this can still continue to exist, and that no one has to suffer anymore. We need to still show him that!"

"Wait," Genis interrupted. "Still?"

"Ah… yeah." Lloyd then looked a little embarrassed, one gloved hand scratching his scalp. "Like, I believe he was with me when me and Colette went to get back the seed, but I don't think he disappeared after that. I can take you to see him and Martel later if you want!"

Genis had to make sense of Lloyd's ramblings. He tended to go off in tangents that made little sense to him but sometimes the most sense to Colette. Yet Genis wasn't sure how much he wanted to know, though he hazarded a guess here and there.

"You named it, didn't you?" Genis asked.

Lloyd nodded. "It seemed to fit, after everything."

Even after so much time together, Lloyd continued to surprise him.

"I still have to pack up and all, but maybe we can make a pit stop there if the Professor doesn't mind? And as long as we promise Martel not to reveal the tree's location, it should be good!"

"Seriously?" Genis started at his friend, hard. "You're serious, right?"

"Of course I am. I wanted to take everybody there someday, but I think it's important you see it first." Lloyd turned to him with a big grin. "What do you say?"

Immediately, Lloyd was met with a snowball to the face.

"Agh!" He fell on his side, while Genis stood, grinning in the smuggest way he could. Sure, maybe he could give one to Zelos this time. He really could be a brat when he wanted to.

After wiping his face, Lloyd looked around frantically at the ground, where the grass was still bare of most snow underneath the tree. "Where'd you even get that?!"

Genis laughed. "Ice magic, dummy!" The mana was strong. No longer did he feel like he was trying to catch as much as he could through a sieve. The snow exemplified it, of Celsius' power. But in the background, he could feel Efreet's fire, ready to melt away the ice so that the forest could breathe. The world could only get better if everyone worked together, whether they be mortal or not.

"Oh yeah?" Lloyd quickly got up, going to the side to gather a huge bundle of snow in both hands, already packing it tightly. "This time, no cheating!"

They had done this in Flanoir, too. The snow had been fresh and falling. While the adults had retreated to the inn, both Lloyd and Genis both decided to discover all that the snow could offer them. Genis' lungs had been burning with cold, just like now, but he hadn't wanted to stop running. Lloyd could have acted all mature and stayed away, and sometimes, Genis could see the thought in Lloyd's eyes, especially when he wanted to show off to Colette. But it was nice when they could both just act stupid, falling over steps and scraping their knees as they tried to pelt each other with snowballs.

The forest didn't feel so silent with them shouting their heads off, probably enough for even Dirk to hear far off. A sneaky snow boulder that caught Genis at the shoulder, then a fistful of snow that Lloyd accidentally caught with his mouth – it was all so really dumb. But that was what Genis needed, and he might as well enjoy until the ice melted away the next day.

 _You're my best friend, Lloyd,_ he had told him once. He should have said it again, but he figured Lloyd must have known, after everything.

* * *

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"Wow! You're amazing, Genis! You got rid of that monster!"

"Whoa, I did?" Genis asked, the hand gripping his kendama still shaking.

Mithos nodded, his face a little pale from the scare they had endured. "One of your fireballs must have hit it! Thank you."

"Aw, it was no problem for a genius mage like me!"

However, as they turned to go, Genis heard a sound, like someone tripping over the uneven ground.

"Damn it." Then nothing, like a held breath.

He didn't say anything, still walking alongside Mithos. But Lloyd had never been the stealthiest of the bunch (not with such a bright outfit and heavy weapons like that), and it wasn't too hard for Genis to sneak glances and see a familiar patch of red through the grass or just peeking from a nearby boulder.

He was sure Mithos must have known, too.

Genis wondered, after their conversation, if Mithos ever resented Lloyd for tagging along with them, making sure none of the monsters ever did serious harm. Not like Genis ever thought he couldn't handle it. He was only getting better with his magic after all, and Tethe'alla's vast reservoir of mana only made his spells that much easier to grasp. Still, he was comforted with Lloyd at his back. How many other humans could he say the same of?

"Ow!" He heard a sharp clunk – Lloyd must have hit his head on a rock. Genis winced.

He caught a flash of sharp blue, from Mithos. "We should hurry. Raine's condition could worsen if we don't."

"Yeah." Genis rushed a little faster, knowing Lloyd could keep up the pace.

"Besides, it feels like it's getting even more cold." Mithos walked evenly, back to Genis. "It might even snow."

Genis said nothing else, walking after his friend ahead, while his other kept him guarded from whatever else could be lurking behind.

He really hoped Lloyd and Mithos could be good friends after all this. Perhaps it was selfish, considering what they were all trying to achieve, and what the world was going through, but he hoped for nothing else.


End file.
